Forgotten Wandering
by Alleydodger
Summary: A young steef escapes the slaughter of his herd and sets off to find something to live for. After meeting up with a group of Mudokons, he begins to learn that sometimes a good cause isn't the ones written in prophecy, but the ones you make yourself. OC story, but sticks to canon as much as possible. No self-inserting if that is what you're worried about.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again everyone! Guess who is back and ready to take this story where I planned to years ago?! Me! That's right, I am currently going through all my old notes and re-editing the chapters I had written to bring you Maruk's story once and for all. So, thank you for re-reading over this chapter and I hope you continue to stick around. Thank you all! **

Maruk woke to stiff limbs and throbbing pain. Rising shakily to his legs he looked around the small, dark hollow in the tree he had been hiding in for the previous day. Rubbing one of his thin, muscular legs to alleviate the feeling, Maruk slowly walked up to the thick, resilient scrub that covered the entrance of his hidden retreat. Silently poking his muzzle through the leafy bush, he surveyed the area around him with hollow eyes. The silence was broken by the buzzing of zappflies and the chittering of a nest of stunkz, interjected only by the occasional cussing of a hidden chippunk. Slowly he trotted out from between the large foliage, stretching his legs as he did, his hooves crushing the leaf litter underfoot. As he trotted slowly through the winding trunks of the blooming forest he thought back to the previous days and how his life had been ripped from his grasp.

V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V

Maruk had been resting next to his mother at the time, her arms wrapped around him as she fiddled with his hair. Maruk had snorted irritably followed by a childish whine. "Muuuuuuuum! Could you stop it, please."

His mother had just smiled. Night had fallen and everything had taken on various shades of grey, shapes greatly defined by his night vision. The bucks had been out on patrol when the poachers had struck. The first shot had echoed out across the field, filling the air with dread. A pained howl from one of the younger males followed closely behind. A sadistic signal signifying the beginning of the raid; it was like they had come flying out of the ground itself, demons hell-bent on destruction. The herd had scattered at the first sign of trouble, mothers sheltering children while the males went off to defend them.

But the poachers had foreseen this and set up accordingly, screams rang out as steef are cut down where they had stood.

Maruk watched on with horrified eyes as his mother attempted to make him flee. Dragging him by his arm, his mother had galloped towards an opening in the poacher's line, a gap leading to a field of tall grass and the safety of the forest beyond. Tall strands of grass had whipped by Maruk, lashing against his legs and chest, his free arm raised to protect his face.

His mother, face stricken with grief and sadness had kept up a steady pace; fast but not enough to leave him behind. Maybe is she had left him or ran faster she might still be alive.

A shot had rang out through the night, ripping through grass before striking her hard in the flank. A spray of blood kicked up as she had stumbled and fallen, her legs collapsing beneath her. The next few moments had passed as if underwater, sounds had dulled and motion had seem to slow to a crawl as he had watched his mother fall.

Maruk had cried out and slowed down, but a growl and a stare from his mother had got him running again, tears streaming down his face andmatting his fur as he ran into the relative safety of the forest. He stumbled through the trees, tripping over roots and crashing through low branches in his desperate bid to secure his life. Through sheer luck he had stumbled across his hiding spot, staggering in as angry voices echoed after him.

V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V-V

Here he had lain and cried before passing into a fitful sleep. Next day he had been too depressed to move and had instead chosen to stare at the ceiling, breaking into bouts of crying as the events played over in his mind again and again. By the next day an increasing pain in his stomach forced him to leave his hollow to hunt for food, the task he was now trying to lose himself in. Maruk was on the search for any form of edible food, heck he'd eat a stunkz if he could find one.

"So much forest and not a single thing to eat." he mumbled to himself glumly, eyes downcast with a slight pout on. Trotting along sometime later, the sound of running water reached Maruk's ears. Running his tongue across his parched lips in an attempt to wet them he had to hold himself back from rushing through the scrub and leaping bodily into the beautiful running river.

With his cloven hooves sinking slightly into the soft mud of the riverbank, knees leaving marks, the disheveled steef stared down at his reflection in the crystal clear water. His brown shoulder-length hair was full of twigs and leaves and the fur on his face was matted and dirty from mud and tears, a testament to the past 48 hours. Hollow blue eyes stared hauntingly back, sunken further into his head than normal. Sticking his face into the water, he took massive gulps to sate his thirst. Having had his fill, Maruk wiped the beads of water collecting in his fur off, before once again heading off to search for food.

Maruk wandered for several more hours without luck, the forest had gotten lighter and the foliage became sparser. As luck would have it, just as he was closr to giving up, he stumbled across a patch of edible berries.

As he was enjoying his fill, Maruk's ears began to twitch as he caught snatches of sound in the distance, bringing with it voices; high pitched squawks and accent-laden words. Mouth still dripping with berry juice and with a large amount of berries grasped firmly in his hands, Maruk wandered silently over towards the voices. Standing before him were a strange group of creatures, short stubby creatures with beaks and feathery arms. He had heard memebers of his herd talk about something like them before. They stood in a group arguing loudly with each other.

A larger member of the group, with rolls covering most of his neck, waddled forward and began talking rapidly. His voice made Maruk's ears cringe and twitch. "Well I think that we should get da 'ell out of here, I hear there is creatures in these here woods that hunt Clakkerz."

"Don't be ridiculous Egland. Thems just myths, like them Steefs. Crazy stories for little hatchlins."

Maruk reared back slightly at his species mention before leaning closer, curious as to what these strange creatures knew about them. Maybe they could help him find them again... if anyone had made it away. Unfortunately they had heard Maruk moving in the bushes and had begun to leave quickly, frightened squawks passing between them. By now Maruk had completely forgotten about his hunger, his mind set on the feeble hope that these things, these clakkerz, could help until the Clakkerz were out of sight, Maruk soflty followed after them, a shadow flitting between the trunks of the trees.

Maruk was careful to stay just behind the group, out of sight but close enough for him to hear where they were. Stumbling along and not paying much attention he had almost lost the group, sheer panic taking over as he cantered, panicked, forward only to dive behind bushes as he almost ran into the back of the Clakkerz. Each one of these instances spurred the clakkerz to move faster, afraid some mythical beast was pursuing them, until even the most skeptical of them wassprinting through the trees, dodging trunks in a fevered manner.

"Geezus Earl it's gunna get us!"

"Shut up and run ya moron!"

"AAAAAAAH! I THINK I LAID AN EGG!"

The trees began to clear more and more, until a clearing appeared, a dusty road winding off across the plains in one direction and into the forest in the opposite one. And standing as a crossroad was a small, rundown town, standing like an old man, each building hunched and fading in the harsh sun. Maruk stood in wonder at the strange site poking through the leaves of the bush he was hiding behind, a dull mix of browns and yellows standing in harsh contrast to the lush green of the forest.

The group of terrified Clakkerz fled towards the centre of town, their cries leading the other inhabitants to follow out of curiosity. Dozens flooded out of their houses, following the terrified screaming to the opposite side of town. Scents drifted on the wind, tantalizing smells that teased his nose, pained growls echoing his thoughts as his stomach complained. The berries had done little to sate his hunger.

"I'm sure they won't mind me getting some food, I am starving after all." he muttered to himself. The trail of smells leads to a small, ramshackle house haphazardly fashioned out of wood and tin. It looked as if a good strong breeze would send it tumbling down, but apparently there was food inside and that was good enough for him.

Pushing open the door, Maruk peeked his head inside to investigate. Wooden furniture adorned the front room. An old rocking chair sat quiet and still in the corner, a small table in the center of the room held various objects and papers, some littering the floor around it and a couch covered in an extremely large amount of pillows finished off the set. Light spilled through small holes in the tin roof, casting a dim light on the scene. Hunger took over curiosity and the kitchen was soon ransacked of everything Maruk could carry, arms full and cheeks lined with anything edible as he made his way towards the door. Unluckily though the commotion had died down and the Clakkerz were returning to their homes, their interest in the 'beasts' lost. This meant that Markus was halfway across the front room when the owner of the house returned.

Stepping through the door the female clacker stopped dead when she noticed the young steef standing in her house, with her food. Completely oblivious to the terrified look occupying her face, Maruk smiled at the clacker and thanked her for the food, thanks to his mouth being stuffed full of food though it came out like "Thmfp jmh foh dhhm fdd."

"AAAH BEAST GET OUT! GET OUT! HELP!" The hysterical woman began desperately throwing objects in a bid for her 'safety', including a vase and painting. The former which narrowly missed Maruk's head, causing him to yelp, and the latter ending up stuck around his neck. Feathers filled the air as the new projectiles rocketed in Maruk's direction. Pillows and knick-knacks became deadly weapons in the clakker's hands. Slipping slightly on the rug Maruk galloped straight out the door, terrified of this crazy bird. The harsh, blinding sun caused him to stumble and fall, rolling off the steps in a tangle of hooves and arms.

"Ooh look little birdies too, and their floating around my head."

Head still spinning from the tumble, Maruk staggered to his feet, arms clutched protectively around the stolen food. Silence filled through the town as the inhabitants noticed the new arrival; stunned eyes stare directly at Maruk as he stared meekly back.

A vase came rocketing out of the doorway, striking the back of his head, shattering itself and the silence. His stagger forward brought the clakkerz out of shock, causing them to scurry insid,e only to return seconds later, each clacker armed with a shotgun or rifle and every single one aimed at Maruk.

Fear drenched Maruk as he recognized the devices that had slaughtered his family, frightened whinnies escaped his throat as he set of in a blind gallop in a desperate gambit to escape the demonic contraptions that had taken his mother from him. Some clakkerz fled into their homes when Maruk began to run, scared that the beast would kill them, while others began to fire.

"Get tha beast, don't let him escape!"

"Take this ya demon!"

Vicious voices mixed with the gunfire as Maruk fled the town, bullets ricocheting off the ground around him. Ducking and weaving, hooves sliding in the dust while the food lay forgotten behind him, tears began to pour down Maruk's face; wetting his fur and blinding him. Blindly dodging Maruk sprinted deep into the jungle, looking wildly behind him, Maruk collided with something soft, knocking him off-balance and onto the ground.

Curling up in a ball, Maruk covered his head with his hands waiting for the end. Instead, something else happened. Four voices surrounding him began conversing with each other. "Hey guys, look'it this fuzzy little thing I found. It's all scared and stuff, should we help it?"

"I don't think so, it could eat us. Then where would we be? We'd be dead, that's where we'd be."

"IDUNNOITHINKITSKINDACUTE!"

"Shut it Supa. Let's go. Leave it."

"I'm gunna help it."

A rough and calloused hand touched Maruk's shoulder. Flinching from the contact, Maruk looked up at whatever was touching him, confusing and fear runnig through his mind. Large bulbous eyes stared down at him. the creature was bald except for a single, feathery topknot on its head. Green skin covered an extremely thin frame and a three fingered hand was gently resting against his shoulder. Three similar creatures stood behind him.

"It's okay little buddy, your safe with us now."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Ok. If you're rereading this chapter as well, you'll notice it has changed entirely. This was because I felt that the story had jumped into the action too quickly without fleshing out the characters first. So, I went back and wrote a chapter based around Maruk and the Mudokons. So, hopefully it came out ok . Enjoy!

It had been a little under aweek since Maruk had joined up with the wandering Mudokons and he was still hesitant to talk to them much. After his run in with Stumps and his group they had chosen to take him with them, not wanting leave the poor Steef by himself. Attempts to coax the Steef to talk had been met with heavy silence or whimpering after which the group chose instead to let him talk in his own time. Finally, one night when the Mudokons were sheltered around their campfire, Maruk broke his silence.

"..Thank you…" Maruk mumbled through a mouthful of half-chewed fruit.

"Eh? Did ya say something little guy?" Stumps turns to stare curiously at him, unsure if he had heard him speak. Stumps was the unofficial leader of the group.

"Thank you, for helping me…" A small sob escaped his lips, a common occurrence during the previous week.

"Aw ain't nothing to it little guy, we was more than happy to help you out. Ain't that right guys?" He turns to the rest of the group for confirmation, receiving a round of agreements, albiet not all so honest.

"Hmmph I guess so.." Muttered the Mudokon Maruk had come to learn was named Serzbiz. He was the one who originally had been very adverse to taking him in. Everything was 'serious business' to him, according to Stumps.

"T-t-totally, fuzzy guy! N-n-nothin like new face!" Beamed Boots, a particularily large Mudokon with a more purple tinge to his skin, and numerous feathers on his head. He also, for an unknown reason to Maruk, wore a boot on his head as well.

"WATCHMEEATTHISROCK!" Shouted Supafast, an extremely over-energetic Modokun, before promptly shoving one into his mouth, receiving several exasperated looks from the group and one extremely confused look from Maruk, who had still not grown accustom to his antics. His face didn't change, even as he attempted to chew it.

Sliding up closer to Maruk, Stumps asked gently "So you wanna tell us about ya self little guy? Whats ya name?"

"Um…I'm M-ma

ruk..." Mumbled Maruk nervously.

"Ma-what?" said Stumps.

"Mar

uk…" He answered again.

"Malook?" Stumps tried again.

"No ya idiot he said Matuk." Said Serz.

"T-t-think he said Maruk, S-serz." Counters Boots, adjusting the boot adorning his head to stop it falling off.

"What'd ya say Boots?! Cause it sounded like ya were saying I was wrong!" Serz shouted at Boots.

"Calm d-down Serz, Ya know I only tryin to h-h-help." said Boots, his hands raised in surrender.

Ignoring the ensuing argument Stumps continued to gently question Maruk. "So, your name is Maruk huh? That's an interesting name."

"Uhuh. m-my mum sa-sa-" he began to sob, fresh tears beginning to appear in his eyes.

"Sh-sh-sh hey now little buddy it's alright, you've got us now. You know I never met my mother." Stumps tried to move the topic away from Maruk's past. It was obviously painful, something Stumps knew well.

Maruk's sobbing faltered for a moment, confusion replacing the tears. "R-really?"

Stumps next smile was a small one, a touch of sadness and loss behind it. "Yeah fuzzy dude. Ya see we Mudokons are born from a single mother. Our mother was Sam. Me, Serz, Boots and Supa are all brothers in that sense. But she was captured and enslaved, wadn't even allowed to hold us for long, and the whole Mudokon race was enslaved with her. That is until Abe came along…"

By that point, the rest of the group had stopped talking and began listening in; Even though they knew they story from experience.

Stumps then went on to detail the history of the Mudokons he had learnt after gaining his freedom, and the actions of their savior Abe. Maruk listened in wonder about the actions of this single Mudokon who stood up against everyone and triumphed. From escaping RuptureFarms to destroying Soulstorm Brewery Maruk held onto every word as Stumps had woven the tale of danger and perseverance.

Soon the others began to join in to, interjecting with points of alternate views that Stumps had forgotten or missed. Before he knew it, Maruk was smiling and laughing, eyes wide in wonder. Sadly the story soon wound down and Serz and Boots went off to rest while Supafast ran off to do who-knows-what.

Maruk was sitting with his legs curled up underneath him, arms wrapped around his chest in comfort or warmth. Unsure how to continue Stumps sat there and stared into the flames, idly scratching the stump of his missing finger. He had told Maruk he lost it to a Slig that was feeling merciful that day. Maruk didn't know what a Slig was, but it didn't seem nice.

"…Why did you help me?"

Stumps was startled by Maruk's question, shocked the child chose to speak first "What?"

"Why did you help me? I-I mean you di-didn't have too. Why?" He was obviously still scared, not willing to trust anyone completely yet.

Stumps smiled gently at Maruk. "We helped because we couldn't just leave you out there, you were hurt and scared. Anyone would have made the same decision."

"Not anyone…" Sorrow blanketed Maruk's face once more.

"Hey buddy, I won't push you to tell me what happened. That ain't something that should be forced, but I will let you know that as long as you're with us nothin will hurt you again, ok."

Maruk looked skeptical for a few seconds before hesitantly asking "Really?"

"Yeah bud, nothing. Us Mudokons, we know what its like to be the lowest of the low. We ain't going to stand by and let the same happen to others. Least me and the others ain't. Now, why don't ya come a little closer to the fire, ya lookin a bit cold."

Maruk shuffled closer to the fire, sighing as the warmth dispelled any lingering chill from the night air. Silence fell between the two again, before Stumps said, "You might want to get some rest. We's gotta head off early."

Maruk was startled by the words. "Huh. Oh...ok."

Curling up around himself, Maruk closed his eyes and focused on the warmth of the fire as it lulled him to sleep. Just before he slipped into his dreams, he heard "Night Maruk. Sweet dreams."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is getting a complete re-write, with the basic plot the same, cause I hated the original. Geez it had some bad writing and pacing. Lets hope I do better this time. Tell me what you guys think if you feel you have anything to say. Anyway, back to the story.**

Sure enough come morning, just as the sun was throwing its first rays down through the canopy of the jungle, the Mudokons were up and about, preparing to move on. The fire was stamped out and covered over with dirt to preserve the beauty of nature as the Mudokons had put it. Maruk was still a little drowsy, and so chose to sit to the side as the group went about their daily routine before they set off. It didn't take long, none of the group having much in the way of possessions, mainly due to their nomadic lifestyle not lending itself to carrying much beyond the essentials.

Hefting a bundle onto his back, Stumps ruffled Maruk's hair as he walked past, bringing him back to coherency.

"Come on little fella. We gotta get moving if we wanna make good time. You good to go?" He asked.

Maruk yawned and nodded. "Y-yeah."

"Alright. We've gotta pass through one of them towns. Don't worry though, it's too early for anyone to be up."

"Them birds sure are lazy." Said Boots just load enough to hear.

Maruk paled beneath his fur. He stammered. "W-what?"

His previous experience with a town meant every nerve of his body was telling him to stay the hell away from anything even resembling a town. He started hyperventilating.

Stumps put his hands up in a comforting gesture. "Hey, hey. Whoa now little guy. Like I said, it's too early for em to be up and about. And 'sides we're here ta protect ya if anythin goes wrong."

Maruk still felt incredibly reluctant, but he trusted Stumps and would go along. Nodding his head to signify his agreement, Maruk followed closely behind Stumps as they left the campsite, off towards the town.

It took them a fairly short amount of time to reach the town, but with the sun rising further and further, Maruk was beginning to question if Stumps was truly right about the townsfolk not being up. Stumps and the rest of the Mudokons showed no sign of worry or rush, so the majority of his fears were kept in check. Before long they arrived on the outskirts of town, the jungle having been cut a fair distance back from even the outskirts of the town, leaving nothing but dust and rocks. Sure to Stumps word, the town seemed deserted currently, almost eerily so. No sound could be heard save the wind and occasional creaking or distant clang. Still, Maruk was expecting gunshots to ring out at any moment.

Stumps whispered to the rest of the group. "Alright guys, let's get through quickly and quietly, that means you Supa, I don'ts want ta be here any longer than we need."

A round of whispered agreements followed, even Supa managed to keep his voice down. With that done, the group entered the town, Maruk still following at the back, arms clutched close to his body.

The further into the town they got, the further the hackles on Maruk's back rose. Something felt very wrong with the current situation, and still Maruk couldn't figure out how the others hadn't realised it. He was running this thought through his head when, suddenly, it felt like he had been struck by lightning, a terrifying shiver running up his spine and fear clenching his heart. Stopping dead in his tracks in the centre of town, Maruk slowly turned his head to glance at a large, signed building not too far from him. From within the shadows of the doorway, he could of sworn he felt eyes boring into him. The eyes of a predator assessing its prey. Yet, it seemed to be empty.

Squinting fearfully, Maruk could swear he could almost make out something staring back at him, a pair of shimmering orbs in the darkness. A voice called out to him, low and worried. "Maruk, you coming? We don't want ta leave ya behind."

Stumps' interruption snapped Maruk out of his staring and made him jump. He glanced at Stumps and then quickly back at the door, the orbs were gone. Moving quickly but quietly, Maruk trotted up to the group. Stumps looked at Maruk.

"What was ya lookin at back there buddy? Ya see somethin?" Said Stumps.

"I-I thought I did. But I'm not so sure." Maruk said back.

"Well, I'm sure it was nothing. Or if it was, it obviously ain't interested in us if it didn't come out." Said Stumps.

Maruk just nodded, glancing back to check if they were alone. The streets were just as empty as they had been before. Not a creature in sight. Maruk sighed in relief and trotted after the Mudokons. They left the town without any trouble.

Inside the building, a pair of glowing orbs re-appeared in the dark and narrowed.

**So, how was that for a chapter? Sorry about the cliffhanger, but I love leaving some tension for the next chapter. Speaking of which, sorry about the shorter length of the chapter. I've realised my main fault in never updating is that I try and push myself to make the chapters as long as possible, even when I've got nothing else to write, which ends in a self-imposed writer's block. So yeah, from now on I'm only going to write as much as I can and then leave the chapter as that. Hopefully it makes posting this faster.**

**Anyway, read and if you enjoyed it please review of leave a comment saying so. We writers live off praise and the enjoyment of others, so it helps my writing confidence if I see people are enjoying it. Until next time!**


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